Electrical connectors



Aug. 25, 1970 H. J. KIPNES 3,525,973

ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Filed June 17, 1968 fi 44 I FIG. 4 I

F/Gj 5 47 2a 24 v 47 I /4 4a a M 44 FIG 9 FIG l0 ATTORNEY United States Patent 01 Efice 3,525,973 Patented Aug. 25, 1970 3,525,973 ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Hyman J. Kipnes, 200 S. Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, N.Y. 10021 Filed June 17, 1968, Ser. No. 737,726 Int. Cl. H01r 17/18 US. Cl. 339-177 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electrical connector with two complementary separable components having two pairs of mating conductor elements. Male and female components contain axially disposed mutually engageable contact pins insulated from outer mutually engageable contact members, the male component having a hollow body portion with an annular enlarged contact locking head, the female component having a cavity proportioned to slidably receive therein said body portion and also having an enlarged contact locking recess proportioned to accommodate therein said contact locking head, and a resilient sleeve within said male components body portion yieldably urging portions of said contact locking head into yieldable engagement with said contact locking recess.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention This invention relates to electrical connectors, and is particularly directed to electrical couplings comprising two complementary separable components with operatively engageable pairs of mating conductor elements.

The known art Electrical connectors of the said category are generally provided with spring means for urging the coacting mated conductor elements into firm engagement, certain known devices using exterior circumferential springs exerting radially inward pressure for yieldably maintaining the engaged conductor elements in contact, others using internal spring means for the same purpose. The exterior springs require special assembling operation and are inconvenient to use in that they constitute an obstruction to manual handling. Certain of the connectors with in ternal spring members are complicated and costly to produce. While yieldable means for securing a firm contact between the coacting conductor elements generally permit the coupling components to be readily assembled in that they meet only yieldable resistance while being brought together, such yieldable means when used in conventional connectors afford no greater resistance to a separation of said components, thereby rendering the device subject to the danger of an inadvertent disconnection of the coupled components.

In many of the known connectors of the class above described it is required that the two coupling components be first oriented in predetermined relative positions before being brought together, certain of said devices requiring such positioning in order to effect the optimum mutual contacting positions of the mating conductor elements. Such connectors accordingly require very careful and time-consuming manipulation to effect the operative assembly of the components.

Objectives of this invention My invention has for its main objective the provision of an electrical conductor of the above described category having none of the disadvantages above mentioned, yet capable of effectively serving its intended electrical connection functions in many fields of use. More specifically, among the objects of this invention are the following: the provision of coacting conductor elements serving the dual function of establishing both an electrical connection and a mechanical lock against ready detachment; the provision of a pair of coacting conductor elements one of which is annular and engageable throughout its entire annular extent with the other, said conductor elements being relatively rotatable through an angle of 360; the provision of means to enable the two components of the connector to be brought into mutual engagement with less effort than is required to separate them from their operatively engaged positions; the provision of means to enable the two said components to be brought into mutual operative engagement by longitudinal alignment and without the need for any other orientation; and the provision of insulating means, positioned within said two components which also serve as yieldable means for maintaining said annular conductor element in firm engagement with its said coacting conductor element.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The preferred embodiment of this invention comprises two separable components of electrical conducting material, one being a female member with a hollow cylindrical body portion and having therein an axially disposed pin of conducting material electrically insulated from the rest of said component, the other component being a male member with a relatively thin hollow cylindrical body portion proportioned for entry into said hollow cylindrical body portion and having therein an axially disposed split contact pin insulated from the rest of said male member. The said pins are so proportioned and positioned as to be in operative engagement when said male and female members are in operative engagement, whereby said pins constitute one pair of mating conductor elements and said male and female members the other pair of mating conductor elements.

The said body portion of the male member contains a plurality of spaced slits extending longitudinally rearwardly from the front end thereof, thereby providing a corresponding plurality of adjacent circumferentially disposed prongs, the material of said male member being resilient whereby said prongs will yieldably resist deflection. Operatively supported within said body portion of the male member is a sleeve having a cylindrical wall in engagement with the inner annular wall of said latter body portion, said sleeve being made of resilient insulating material, such as Teflon, and yieldably urging said circumferential prongs in a direction away from the axis of said male component.

The front end portion of the male rnembers body portion is of enlarged proportions, the arrangement being such that when the two said components are operatively interengaged during their assembly, the enlarged terminal portion will slidably engage the inner annular Wall of the cylindrical body portion of said female member, the said prongs being pressed towards said axis against the yieldable resistance of said sleeve. Spaced rearwardly from the front terminal of said female members body portion is an annular recessed portion so proportioned and positioned as to accommodate therein said enlarged terminal portion of said rnale members body portion when the two said components have been brought to a predetermined operative position. In this final operative position the said sleeve is still urging said circumferential prongs away from said axis, whereby said enlarged terminal portion is in complete yieldably circumferential engagement with said annular recessed portion.

The said enlarged terminal portion, hereinafter referred to as the locking contact head, is thus in yieldably locked engagement with the said annular recessed portion, hereinafter referred to as the annular locking recess, the required effort to disengage the two components from their said locked positions obviously being greater than that required for slidably bringing said components together towards their final operative positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the female component of the electrical connector of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the male component thereof.

FIG. 3 is an end view of FIG. 2 looking in the direc tion of arrows 33.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal axial section of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal axial section of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal axial section of the male and female components shown partly assembled.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal axial section of the said two components shown completely assembled.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the assembled unit of FIG. 7, shown in reduced size.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are opposite end views of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the particular embodiment of this invention shown in the drawings, the connector assembly 10 comprises the two components 11 and 12, the former being the male member and the latter the female member. In the form illustrated the respective components are adapted for attachment to suitable sockets not shown, the said male member 11 having at the rear thereof the threaded plug portion 13 with the flange stop 14, and said female member 12 having at its rear the plug portion 15 with the flange stop 16, said plug portions being adapted for mounting within such sockets in well known manner. Said male member 11 supports therein the axially positioned contact pin 17 and said female member 12 supports therein the axially positioned contact pin 18, said pins constituting one pair of mating contact elements adapted for mutual engagement when said components are operatively assembled, said male and female members 11 and 12 being made of electrical conducting material and constituting the second pair of mating contact elements of the connector. The rear portions 17a and 18a of said respective pins 17 and 18, extending outwardly through apertures 44 and 44a, respectively, are adapted to contact suitably positioned contacts in the respective above-mentioned sockets, and the said respective threaded plug portions 13 and 15 are adapted to be mounted within said sockets in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. The arrangement is such that the circuit containing said sockets will be closed when said components 11 and 12 of the connector are in assembled relation and operatively mounted within said sockets-all in a manner that will more clearly appear from the description hereinafter given.

The said female member 12 has the inner transverse partition wall 19 with the central aperture 20 through which said pin 18 extends, said aperture being of greater proportions than the diameter of the pin so that there is no contact between the pin and the said wall 19. Flanking said partition wall 19 are the cavities 21 and 22, the former containing the resilient pin-supporting sections 23 and 24 made of insulating material, such as Teflon, and the latter being adapted to receive therein the meeting body portion 25 of said male member 11, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In the particular embodiment illustrated, said pin 18 contains the knurled portion 26 in frictional engagement with the recessed portions 27 and 28 of said respective supporting sections 23 and 24 for holding said pin against longitudinal and rotational displacement. The said sections 23 and 24 are proportioned to fit snugly into the cavity 21 so as to firmly maintain the pin 18 in its axial position while insulating it from the body of the female member. It will be noted that the forward portion of said pin 18 is disposed within said cavity 22, the rear portion 18a extending rearwardly through the enlarged aperture 44a.

The said cavity 22 is defined by the cylindrical body portion 29, the inner annular wall 30 being also cylindrical and joining the annular recessed portion 31 spaced inwardly from the front leading edge 32 and preferably positioned adjacent said partition wall 19, said recessed portion constituting the above-mentioned annular locking recess. The annular juncture 33 between the said annular wall portions is preferably, though not necessarily, bevelled.

The said body portion 25 of the said male component 11 is hollow, having a relatively thin cylindrical wall 34 the terminal portion 35 thereof constituting the aforesaid locking contact head. Said body portion 25 contains the slits 36 extending longitudinally inwardly from the front leading edge 25a thereof, said slits being circumferentially spaced around said body portion 25 to form a plurality of longitudinal prongs 37. As aforesaid, the material of said member 11 is of resilient material, whereby said prongs will yieldably resist deflection. In the preferred form illustrated, said prongs 37 have their ends bent radially inwardly to form retaining fingers 38 for retaining within the member 11 the sleeve 39 hereinbelow described. The terminals 40 of said fingers 38 are in such spaced relation as to form the central aperture 41 for receiving therethrough the said pin 18 when the two coacting components 11 and 12 of the connector are operatively brought together, whereby said pin 18 is brought into slidable engagement with said pin 17.

In the embodiment illustrated, said pin '17 has split portions and 17d with opposing separable contacting portions 17s and 17] in yieldable engagement substantially at the longitudinal axis of the body portion 25, the arrangement being such that when the said two components 11 and 12 are operatively brought together, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and '7, the pin 18 will enter said split pin 17 between the said contacting portions 17e and 177, yieldably urging them apart and maintaining firm electrical contact with them. The said pin 17 is supported in its desired axial position by the hollow resilient insulating plug 42 firmly held in place between the peened-over circumferential lip 43 and the said sleeve 39 with which said support is circumferentially interengaged. The said lip 43 defines the said aperture 44 through which the said pin portion 17a extends. The said sleeve 39, also made of resilient material of electrical insulating properties, such as Teflon, is positioned within said body portion 25 of themale member 11, the cylindrical wall 45 of said sleeve bearing against the inner annular surface 46 of said body portion 25 and yieldably urging said prongs 37 radially outwardly away from the axis. The forward end of said sleeve 39 contains the peripheral flange 47 for guiding engagement with said pin 18 when said components are being assembled, said flange forming the central aperture 47a in axial alignment with said aperture 41, as indicated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In assembling the two components 11 and 12 all that is necessary is first to position them with their respective front leading edges 25a and 32 in facing relation, and then insert the said male body portion 25 into the cavity 22 of the body portion 29 of the female component 12, the two components being pushed together until the said locking head 35 enters the said annular locking recess 31 which is proportioned to receive said head. It is noteworthy that no specially oriented relative positioning of the two components is necessary other than that they be positioned in longitudinal alignment; and once assembled the two components are rotatably movable with respect to each other through 360.

Due to the resiliency of said sleeve 39, upon the operative assembly of the two components the said prongs 37 of the locking head 35 are brought into yieldable pressing engagement with the entire inner annular wall of said locking recess 31 and maintained in firm engagement therewith throughout 360 of relative circumferential positions of said two components. And the two components are securely held in detachably locked operative positions due to the interengagement of the locking head 35 and the locking recess 31. The front corner 48 of the said locking head 35 is preferably bevelled to enable the two components to be separated by the application of a suflicient pulling force.

The proportions of said sleeve 39 and locking contact head 35 are such that when the parts are disassembled the outer diameter A of said locking head is somewhat greater than the diameter B of said annular locking recess 31, whereby the desired firm yieldable contact between the pair of mating contact elements 35 and 31 is established and maintained. The yieldability of the wall 45 of sleeve 39 is such as to permit the prongs 37 to be deflected inwardly towards the longitudinal axis upon the insertion of said body portion 25 into the said cavity 22, as clearly indicated in FIG. 6. The only resistance encountered during said insertion is that exerted by the yieldable sleeve 39, and the frictional engagement of the narrow locking head 35 and the annular surface 30 of said component 12, and of the said leading edge 32 of the component 12 and the outer annular surface of said body portion 25 of the component 11, as shown in FIG. 6.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an electrical connector, two interengageable sep arable complementary components, one being a male member and the other a female member, said members having at the respective forward sections thereof hollow body portions, the said body portion of the female member being proportioned for slidably receiving therein the said body portion of the male member, said male members body portion having a thin annular wall made of resilient material and an integral forwardly disposed enlarged cylindrical locking head of resilient material, the forward portion of said annular wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced splits extending longitudinally rearwardly from the front of said locking head, thereby forming a corresponding plurality of longitudinally extending resilient prongs, said body portion of said female member having an annular wall defining an inner cavity with a rearwardly disposed enlarged internal annular recess in said annular wall proportioned and positioned for operatively accommodating therein said locking head when said components are in operatively interengaged relation, said enlarged locking head being of greater transverse proportions than the rest of said latter body portion, a resilient sleeve of electrical insulating material mounted within said male members body portion and in yieldable engagement with the inner surfaces of said prongs, said locking head and said recessed portion being electrically conductive, whereby when said two components are operatively interengaged said locking head and said recessed portion will be yieldably interlocked and electrically connected, said prongs having at the respective forward por tions thereof radially inwardly extending fingers the terminals of which are spaced to form a central aperture at the front of said male member, said fingers being in engagement with the front portion of said sleeve, whereby said sleeve is held against displacement, and a pair of conductor elements carried by said two components and positioned and proportioned for mating engagement when said components are operatively interengaged, said conductor elements being electrically insulated from said two components.

2. In an electrical connector, the combination according to claim 1, said sleeve having a front inwardly extending peripheral guide flange forming a central opening axially aligned with said central aperture, the said two conductor elements comprising two longitudinally extending pins within said two respective components, the annular wall of the said flange which defines said opening being positioned and proportioned for slidable engage ment with the pin carried by said female member when said two components are being operatively interengaged.

3. In an electrical connector, the combination according to claim 2, said male and female members being made of electrical conducting material, each of said respective members having at their rear portions securing means for electrical connection to suitable electrical receptacles, each of said pins having rearwardly extending portions for electrical connection to suitably positioned contacts.

4. In an electrical connector, two interengageable separable complementary components, one being a male member and the other a female member, said members having at the respective forward sections thereof hollow body portions, the said body portion of the female member being proportioned for slidably receiving therein the said body portion of the male member, said male members body portion having a thin annular wall made of resilient material and an integral forwardly disposed enlarged cylindrical locking head of resilient material, said body portion of said female member having an annular wall defining an inner cavity with a rearwardly disposed enlarged internal annular recess proportioned and positioned for operatively accommodating therein said locking head when said components are in operatively interengaged relation, a resilient sleeve of electrical insulating material mounted within said male mem-bers body portion and in yieldable engagement with the inner surface of said thin annular resilient wall of said male member, said locking head and said recessed portion being electrically conductive, whereby when said two components are operatively interengaged said locking head and said recessed portion will be yieldably interlocked and electrically connected, a plurality of fingers extending radially inwardly from the front portion of said resilient annular Wall of the male member, the terminals of said fingers being spaced apart to form a central aperture at the front of said male member, said fingers being in engagement with the front portion of said sleeve, whereby said sleeve is held against displacement, and a pair of conductor elements carried by said two components and positioned and proportioned for mating engagement when said components are operatively interengaged, said conductor elements being electrically insulated from said two components.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,449,073 9/1948 Iohannesen 339-177 X 2,983,893 5/1961 Jackson 339-91 3,054,981 9/1962 Malek et a1. 339-177 RICHAIRD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner L. J. STAAB, Assistant Examiner 

